Toy tractor



Nov. 23 1926. 1,608,142

M.J,sTEPHENsoN.

TOY TRACTOR Filed oct. 2, 192s s'sheets-sheet 1 Nov. 23 1926. 1,608,142

M. J. STEPHENSON TOY TRACTOR Filed Oct. 2, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mrito@Win/172% n Nov. 23 1926. l 1,608,142

M. J. sTEPHENsoN TOY TRACTOR Filed Oct. 2, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 MELV/A/ J STEPHEA/S/V Patented Nov. 23, 1926..

, UNITED STATES 1,608,142g imram* o Eric-E.

Marvinl J. sTEriIpNsoN, or GoonRIDGE, MINNESOTA."

'roy Tamron.'

Application nieavocvmbera, 1925. ls'eriaim. 60,126.

This invention appertains to toy threshing outfits and more,particularly to a traction engine for operating a toy7 thresher beinginadetlie subject matter of any independcnt application. f .Y

The primary objectof the presentinvention is to provide a novel toytraction engine, constructed tof simulate the appearance of a steamtractor and which includesl 10 novel vmeans for operating the'variousrparts of the engine, such as .the piston, drive wheels and thelike.

Another object of the invention isto provide novel mea-ns forconstructing the cylinder and pistonof the traction engine so that thepiston, whenin operation, will make a sound similar to the exhaust of asteani A further object lof the invention `is to provide means arrangedwithin the'body of.

I0 the engine for directing finely ground material through'the smokestack for simulat-v ing real smoke. l Y

A still further object of'theinveiition is toprovide a toy tractionengine of the above character, which will be durableand eiiilcientin'use, simple and easy to manufacture andone which can bejplaced uponthe market at a reasonable cost and whi'chlwill` present a pleasingappearance'to the trade.

Tith these and other objects in view, the invention consistsin the novelconstruction,V

arrangement and lformation of parts, as Willybe herein-after morespecifically described, claimed and illustrated inthe accompanyingdrawings in which drawings:

away and in section, i v

- Figure l2 Yis atop plan view of the improved toy engine, v

Figure 3 is an-enlarged vertical' Section through the whistle operatingmeans,

Figuretis afragmentary side elevational viewof the engine looking fromthe opposite side las shown in Figure l, the engine being'partlybrokenaway and in sect-iony to Figure l lis sidel elevation ofthehtoytraction engine, parts thereof being broken;

illustratethe novel means employed for diviectin'g 'the viinel jcommutated material through the smo re stack` for simulating smoke, iFigure I5 is a fra'rrnientary rear elevation ofthe engine showing'a.Aslightly modified forni of means for operating the drive wheels andother operating'parts thereof,`v

AReferring to" the drawings in "detail, wherein similar referencecharacters designate corresponding .parts throughout lthe several views,the letter A generally indicatesrtheiimproved toy engine, which com'-prises a body 10` shapedlto simulate the appearance ofaboiler; VTheinner end ofthe Sion 11,'for simulating the appearance of a` iirelboxVanda platform 12 projects 'rearwardly'from thelirebox'and can'have fuel"boxesilS disposed onthe opposite sidesthereof. A d'ravvlheadliiL can beconnected with the platform i12l if'soy desired. The' boiler l0,

lfire lbox 1l 'and platform 12can' be constructed vfrom any'desire'd'material, such as* hard wood or sheet metal. In the drawings,

'the entire apparatus is shown constructed of ymetal'. 'y The lfront endofthe boiler lO supports an' arched `bolster l5 on which is mountedibymeans lof a'suita'ble fifth wheel i' or -the'like, a swinging aXle'lG.The axle` '16V has 'rotatably mounted thereon' the front ground.'wheels'lf andthe laxleis adaptedyto "be swung on the bolster l5 similarto Van Ordinar-yv steamv` traction engine. `.As shown, the axle llliasconnected to'terminals there- 'body is'providedwith a `depending exten#lof'fchain's 1.8, which lead to aV transverse cross shaft 19' rotatablymounted in'suitable'hang-- ers 20 carried vby thelower surface of thebody orjboiler y10. This'shaft;l9has=keyed or otherwise secured'theretoawormfwheel 21 which-meshes with .a worm ,22' keyed or otherwise'securedto the steering shaft 23 which extendsv upwardlyand rearwardly ati anV langle through the lire 'box and terminates vdirectly above itheAplatform l2'. If preferred thesteei'ing shaft'can berdisposed atoneside of the Vbody and `fire'fbox. This `rsteering Aposit .'23 .isprovided with a steering wheel 24.' The '-irebox ll'rotatabl ports aVrearlive drive axley 25 to'w ich'is .keyed relatively broad-rear groundwheels sup-l 26.l This' axlelVV isdriven by means, which Y will be"hereinafter-.more fully described," but it A-is tobe notelllthatv theaxlehas rigidly secured Vthereto a sprocket whee1127. The

lboi-ler ll()I supportsadjacent'to the forward terminal thereof theupstanding smoke stack 29, which is to simulate an ordinary smoke stackand the stack has communicating therewith the rearwardly and downwardlyinclined flue or tube 30 disposed in the body or boiler l0. The innerend of this pipe or flue 30 extends into a blast chamber 3l formed byplacing transverse partitions, 32 and 32 in the boiler or body. rlherear end of the chamber 3l can have communieating therewith a feed chute33 closed by a door 34 which is arranged above the platform l2. Thisdoor can simulate the ordinarylire box doorl of a steam traction engine.A shaft 35 extends transversely through the chamber 3l and has formed onor secured thereto any preferred type of blast fan 36 for creating` ablast of air tl'irough the flue 30 and stack 29. in air inlet opening 37can be formed in the chamber in order to insure the correct supply ofair to the air chamber. rllhe chamber 3l, flue 30 and stack 29 isutilized for throwing the commutated material out ofthe stack tosimulate smoke and any substance can be used, such as flour, finelyground saw dust,

small pieces of paper or the like, and this material can eitherbe'introduced through the opening` 37 or through the chute 33. The fanblower shaft 35 can bedriven from the drive axle 25 if desired but it ispreferred to operate the same directly from a main operating shaft 50,which will be described later and the shaft 35 and the shaft 50 can beprovided respectively with friction pulley wheels 38 and 39 around whichis ,trained a pulley belt 40. lt is obvious that when the line materialis thrown out of the stack, that the saine will give'the appearance ofreal smoke, issuing from the stack. Arranged on one side of the boileradjacent to the forward end thereof is the cylinder 4l and the piston42. VThis cylinder 4l and piston 42 perform no function other thanadding to the appearance of the engine and to give a sound similar to atraction engine in operation. The cylinder' at a point intern'iediateits ends isprovided with a flexible partition or sounding diaphragm 43and the cylinder is provided with a sound outlet opening 44. During thereciproca.h tion of the piston 42, by means which will be hereinafterdescribed, the 'piston will strike the diaphragm 43 causing a sound tobe made similar to the exhausting` of steam from a cylinder. The youterend of the pis ton 42 has secured thereto a rigid piston rod 45connected with a cross head 46 which operates in cross head guides 47carried by the body or boiler. 'This cross head is in turn connected bymeans of pitmanE rod ,43 with a i crank wheel 49 which is rigidlysecured iny any preferred way to the main operating shaft 50. This mainoperating` shaft extends transversely of the body l0 and is mounted insuitable bearings 5l carried by the upper end of the boiler or body. Theopposite end of the main drive shaft 50 from the crank wheel 49 hassecured thereto a relatively heavy fly wheel 52 which is utilized forstoring energy, in the present inA stance, to drive the operating partsof the engine a'considerable length of time after power has ceased to beapplied to themain drive shaft 50; This drive shaft 50 can be driven inany desired way, which forms no part of the present invention, and theshaft can be driven by a spring motor, an electric motor or the like.

sprocket wheels and 27 and thus it is ob-' vious that when shaft 50 isdriven, that drive axle 25, the piston 42 and a fan 36 will be operatedtherefrom. In order to permit the operation of the blower and otherparts of the device when the engine is standing still without operatingthe drive axle,

the sprocket wheel is loosely mounted on the shaft 53 and can beconnected and disconnected thereto in anypreferred way, suoli as by aset screw 55. ln the embodiment shown the shaft 53 is provided with ahand crank to permit the operation of the device.

lf preferred a whistle can also be provided for the toy and the boileror body l0 has secured to the upper fac-e thereof a dome (30 made tosimulate a steam dome andthis dome provides a housingl for a blower fan(il which is mounted upon a crank shaft (32 rotatably carried by thesaid dome. @ne end of the sh; t (32 protrudes beyond the dome and isprovided with a sprocket wheel l (S3 which is in direct alinement with asprocket wheel G4 rigidly secured to shaft .5o. fr sprocket chain 35 istrained Vabout .the sprocket wheels 63 ando/4 for operating the saidblower fan 6l. the dome 6G is provided with an outlet opening lili whichconnnunicates with a nipple y seY llo

The* upper end of" Vfofrin' I provide a'transversely` extending adaptedto vclose the inlet off' the f whistle .and

of the lever and leading baclr through a guide Tcarried bythe rear, endof the body directly above the platform l2. A vAs heretofore stated, anysuitable means canrbe 'provided for operating the .toy en- `eine, and inFigure ofthe drawing I have shown a slightly modified operatingmeanswhich is also of the manual/type. Iirthis main drive cranlr shaft'rotatably carried bythe body. This shaft at la point'iiitermediate itsends is provided with a crank arm 7G which, is in alinement with crankarm V77 formed on the shaft 50, which is utilized for operating thepiston and other parts of the device. provided with a handle l78 tofacilitate the manual operation thereof while the other end is providedwith a crank 79 having coniiected thereto a pitman rod S0 operativelyconnected to a crank 8l formed on the said drive shaft 25. The cranks 77and 76 are operatively connected by a suitableI linlr or pitman rods 82.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that I have provided anovel toy traction engine, which is constructed to closely simulate areal steam traction engine and which embodies a number of attractivefeatures which will please children nieclianically inclined.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of this invention, but:V

Vhat I claim as new is: Y

l. 'A toy traction engine constructed to simulate the appearance of asteam tractor` comprising a boiler shaped body, a depending re box atone end of the body, steering wheels carried by the front end of theboiler shaped body, a drive axle rotatably carried by the iirebox,wheels upon said drive axle, a drive shaft rotatably carried by thebody, means for operating said drive shaft, means for operating thedrive axle from the' drive shaft, a piston and cylinder mounted upon theboiler body, means for operating the piston from the drive shaft, andmeans op- TJO erated by the piston for creating a sound to simulate thesound of a steam piston cylinder in operation.

2. A toy traction lengine constructed tok simulate the appearance of asteam tractor comprising a boiler shaped body, a depending fire box atoneend of the body, a plate form supported by the fire box, steering,

One end of the crank shaft is wheels carried by the front end of theboiler shaped body, a driv-e'axle carried bythe axle,a;drive'shaftirotatablyy carried by th body, means for operating, thedrive shaft,

fire box, ground V,wheels secured to the' drive releasable meansforoperating the drive axle from thedriveshaft, apistonf aiidcyl indersupported' upon the body, a whistle carried by the body, and-means onsaidbody for oreatingpressureto ractuate the ,whistle` and means yforoperating the piston `from the .Y

drive shaft.

y3. A. toy traction engine constructed to simulate the Aappearancepofasteam tractor comprising ar boiler shaped; body,` a dependbox, laswinging steering laxle carriedy by the 4front end ofv the body,'wheelsupon thefaxle,

ying lire box `at one end of thebody, a rcar- Yward extending platformcarried byatheiire A,

cured to the drive axle, awdriveV shaft ,ref

tatably carried bythe body, means for operating the drive shaft, apiston and cylinder mounted upon the boiler shaped body, a whistle, adome on said body supporting the whistle having an opening communicatingtherewith, a fan in the dome for creating a blast of air through thewhistle, and means for synchronously operating the drive axle, pistonand fan from the drive shaft.

4. A toy traction engine vconstructed vto simulate thev appearance of asteam tractor embodying a boiler shaped body, a depending fire boxformed on therear end ofA the body, a swinging steering axle carried bythe front end of the boiler, wheels upon the u Y swinging axle, arotatablek drive axle carried by the `lire box, wheels secured to thedrive axle, a drive shaft rotatably carried by the body, means foroperating the drive shaft, a piston and cylinder mounted upon the boilershaped body, a dome mounted upon the body, a fan wheel in the dome forcreating a blastA of air, a whistle mounted upon the dome, a valve fordirecting the blast of air at the desired time through the whistle,means fory operating the valve from the rear end of the boiler shapedbody, and

Vmeans for synchronously operating the drive axle, piston and fan fromsaid drive shaft. 5. AV toy traction engine constructed to simulate theappearance of a steam tractor embodying a boiler shaped body, a depend#ing fire box carried by. the rear end of the body, a swinging front axlecarried bv the front end of the boiler shaped body, wheels upon theaxle, a drive axlecarried by the fire box, ground wheels secured to thedrive axle, meansfor swinging the front axle from the rear end ofthebody, a pist-on and cylinder carried upon the boiler `Shaped body, adrive shaft rotatably supported by the body, means for operating thedrive shaft, a dome mounted upon the body having an outlet opening, aWhistle mounted upon the dome,

a valve for directing air from the dome outlet opening through theWhistle at desired intervals, means for operating the valve from therear end of the tractor, a fan Wheel in said dome for creating a blastof air through tlieroutlet opening in the dome, a stack carried bythei'orward end oi' the boiler shaped body, a chamber Within the body, atube connecting the sta-cl: and chamber together, a blast fan arrangedWithin the chamber for creating the blast of air through the tube andstack, means for introducing fine material into the chamber and meansfor synchronously operating the piston, the drive axle, the vfan Wheelin the dome and the blast fan in the chamber from said drive shaft.

6. In a toy traction engine constructed to the nipple, air inlet for theWhistle partially communicating with the air inlet, a fan including ashaft rotatably mounted on the dome for creating a blast of air throughsaid outlet opening, one end of the ian shaft being ext-ended beyond thedome, a drive shaft rotatably carried by said body, the fan shaft anddrive shaft being provided With sprocket Wheels, a drive sprocket chaintrained about said sprocket Wheels, a slide valve provided with anopening for directing'the blast of air from the outlet nipple thro-ughthe Whistle, an operating lever roclrably mounted intermediate itsendsupon said nipple connected at its lower end with the slide valve, aguide secured to the rear end of the boiler body, anda cable slidablymounted through the guide and connected to the upper end of said lever.

In testimony whereof I atiix my signature.

MELVIN J. STEPHENSON.

